The Patriots chose not to franchise Wes Welker (or anyone, for that matter) on Monday, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a plan at slot receiver if Welker is not a Patriot next season.

According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the Pats have a replacement in mind in Danny Amendola. Florio, who was a guest on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday morning, hinted that the Pats plan to sign Amendola next week.

“[The Patriots] need to work something out by next Tuesday,” Florio said. “The problem is they couldn’t franchise [Welker] because it would cost them $11.4 million to keep him around.

“The ace in the hole for the Patriots is Danny Amendola.”

Amendola caught 63 passes for 666 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games in an injury-shortened 2012.